Bold Rock Cidery

Bold Rock makes cider so tasty you could almost bathe in it. In fact, in the 14th century, that’s what people did: As it was often more sanitary than water, kids were baptized in cider. We can’t imagine a better scenario, especially if the tub had been filled with one of this year’s top performers. In Nellysford, Bold Rock combines the talents of a Blue Ridge Mountain farmer and cidermaker from New Zealand. Albemarle Ciderworks in North Garden, founded in 2009, is the elder statesman of the cider revival and grows its own fruit under the name Vintage Virginia Apples.

So what if we didn’t grow up with a Southern grandma? We still know a good fried chicken biscuit when we taste one—like, say, the Ace Biscuit & Barbecue sandwich on this week’s cover. Southern cuisine may be having a moment in the national spotlight, but ’round these parts we’ve had an

Tap dance The latest World of Beer location, nestled into the first floor of the swanky new student housing complex at 852 West Main, has settled on what managers are calling a “solid” opening date of September 22, after they missed an initial target of September 6. Good thing—the residents

Beer Run 156 Carlton Rd. #203 984-2337 beerrun.com Runner-up: Blue Mountain Brewery 9519 Critzer Shop Rd. (Afton) (540) 456-8020 bluemountainbrewery.com With seven breweries in the immediate area, it’s clear we live in a beer town—and Beer Run is no exception. It’s the one spot you can get it

Splendora’s Gelato 317 E. Main St. 296-8555 splendoras.com Runner-up: Sweet Frog 219 W. Main St. 293-7123 Barracks Road Shopping Center 293-1130 Hollymead Town Center 975-3764 sweetfrogyogurt.com Gluttony may be one of the seven deadly sins, but a giant cup of gelato is perhaps one of heaven’s

Citizen Burger Bar 212 E. Main St. 979-9944 citizenburgerbar.com Runner-up: Ace Biscuit & Barbecue 711 Henry Ave. 202-1403 facebook.com/AceBiscuitBbq There’s currently a radio commercial for McDonald’s in which the narrator says the Big Mac is “the best thing to happen to your mouth since

Wild Wing Café 820 W. Main St. 979-9464 wildwingcafe.com Runner-up: Buffalo Wild Wings 1935 Arlington Blvd. 977-1882 buffalowildwings.com On Superbowl Sunday, Americans eat 1,083,333 football fields worth of wings, and we’d imagine a few of those come from Wild Wing, where you can choose from

Belmont Bar-B-Que 816 Hinton Ave. 979-7427 belmontbarbq.com Runner-up: BBQ Exchange 102 Martinsburg Ave., Gordonsville (540) 832-0227 bbqex.com A tradition at the White House since Thomas Jefferson first opened up the South Lawn for entertaining, barbecues are a summertime staple—especially in

Whiskey Jar 227 W. Main St. 202-1549 thewhiskeyjarcville.com Runner-up: Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar 422 E. Main St. 202-7728 commonwealthskybar.com Omigosh, you guys. I love you. I love you like soooo much. And you know what else? I love Whiskey Jar. I like drinkin’ all the whiskey,

The Local 824 Hinton Ave. 984-9749 thelocal-cville.com Runner-up: Maya 633 W. Main St. 979-6292 maya-restaurant.com The promise of a good menu gets people into restaurants, but great service keeps them coming back. No one knows this better than Peter Shankman, a devoted fan of Morton’s

King Family Vineyards 6550 Roseland Farm (Crozet) 823-7800 kingfamilyvineyards.com Runner-up: Veritas Vineyard & Winery 151 Veritas Ln. (Afton) (540) 456-8000 veritaswines.com You know how, at a pig roast, people sometimes say the pig gave its life so that we could eat? Well, for every

Albemarle Baking Company 418 W. Main St. 293-6456 albemarlebakingco.com Runner-up: Chandler’s Bakery Albemarle Square Shopping Center 975-2253 chandlersbakery.com In Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team,” he describes his lover’s face as “crumbling like pastries.” And while that lyric is arguably one of

Emma Whittington at Beer Run Runner-up: Deidre Carpenter at Whiskey Jar Donald Trump once left a waiter at a Los Angeles restaurant a $10,000 tip. We’re guessing Emma and Deidre have never been quite that lucky, but that’s not because they don’t deserve it. When it comes to service, readers say

Milan Indian Cuisine 1817 Emmet St. N 984-2828 milan-indian-cuisine.com Runner-up: Himalayan Fusion 520 E. Main St. 293-3120 himalayanfusion.com Readers know Milan has the best curry in town, but as it turns out, everything else on the restaurant’s menu is pretty darn tasty too. The Emmet

Milan Indian Cuisine 1817 Emmet St. N 984-2828 milan-indian-cuisine.com Runner-up: Wood Grill Buffet 576 Branchlands Blvd. 975-5613 woodgrillbuffet.com In 2010, the Art of Living Foundation in Ahmedabad, India, created the largest buffet in history, with 5,612 different dishes. Your pick for